Harvard Quarterback Jaden Craig to Start Against Yale

Harvard’s star quarterback Jaden Craig will start on Saturday against Yale, returning to play just one week after he left the field on a stretcher after taking a scary hit against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Craig has served as the Crimson’s starting quarterback since midway through last season, when he took over the role from Charles DePrima, a senior who has since emerged as one of Harvard’s most valuable players by playing a variety of positions on the field.

Craig’s status ahead of The Game was unclear after he took a hard hit against the Quakers and landed on his shoulder. He stayed down for several minutes as medical staff attended to him, before removing Craig on a stretcher and loading him into an ambulance.

DePrima served as the Crimson’s quarterback for the rest of the game, leading Harvard to a come-from-behind victory against the Quakers to secure a share of the Ivy League title. Now, Harvard only needs to win against Yale to become the sole champion of the Ivy League for the first time in a decade.

In the hours before kickoff, Craig was seen on the field fully suited up and warming up with the rest of the team.

Head Coach Andrew Aurich kept Craig’s status a secret in the days leading up to the Crimson’s matchup against Yale. In doing so, Aurich attempted to force Yale’s defense to prepare for two sets of offenses, one led by Craig and the other led by DePrima.

Aurich continued to play coy about Craig’s status one hour before The Game started, refusing to tell The Crimson whether Craig would start.

“You’ll see,” Aurich said.

—Staff writer Jo B. Lemann can be reached at jo.lemann@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Jo_Lemann.